Ant McPartlin will not return to 'I'm a celeb...' this year, says pal Christopher Biggins
Ant McPartlin will not be returning to 'I'm a Celeb... Get me out of here,' according to his friend Christopher Biggins. Ant of the Ant & Dec TV presenting duo has chosen to keep a fairly low profile after it was reported that he was dating his estranged wife Lisa Armstrong's PA Anne Marie Corbett. The 42-year-old was convicted of drink-driving offenses and was forced to step down from his TV duties as he started his journey to recovery which meant that Declan Donnelly would be presenting the show live 'Britain's Got Talent' alone. When Ant appeared on the show 'I'm a Celeb' in the year 2007, he befriended Biggins, who is now claiming that McPartlin is unlikely to return to the show to host it with Donnelly for the 18th series of the show, as he is planning to sit out this year.
According to Mirror, Biggins revealed, "Without a doubt, he will be back on TV. It is a terrible scenario but I think this year’s I’m A Celebrity will only be Dec, and then Ant will be back next year. Because he needs to get himself together and recover. My advice to him is that it is a great strain, it is terrible. It’s not an easy business, especially if you are such a big star as they are for ITV. They are ITV, so it is very complicated. The new girlfriend will help, I’m sure".
Christopher Biggins comments come shortly after Lisa Armstrong was seen enjoying herself in Los Angeles. The makeup artist has been seen staying with a former Deuce bandmate, Craig Young. Craig has taken to social media to show everyone just how much of a good time the pair has been having together. One of the pictures showed Lisa and Craig soaking up LA sunshine while another showed the pair at the Hollywood Bowl stadium.
Another one of Ant's longtime friend and Hollyoaks star, Jeremy Edwards took to Twitter to say, "I love Dec on his own, gentle delivery, more grown up. Obvs I love Ant but maybe it's simply time? For both their sakes. @BGT," before adding, "I know them both over the years and Dec was always the more confident. Both equally lovely but Ant a bit shy. I'm just worried Ant has had enough but keeps going for his mate. Dec is obviously v comfortable. I love them both."
Recently, Lisa made a public attempt to contact Donnelly after rumors surfaced that he has moved on to a new girlfriend. She took to social media to show Dec that there were no ill-feelings between the pair. When Dec took to Twitter to talk about England's 2018 World Cup success, Lisa had no qualms about tapping a like on his post. The post read, "Oof! # WorldCup2018 England # WereOnTheBall # ItsCominHome".
Lisa's "like" on Twitter comes after Dec allegedly reached out to her to let her know that they are still mates. He reportedly texted her, "You know where I am if you need to talk. Be strong". The mutual support between the friends come after it was reported that Ant moved on with his PA, Anne-Marie Corbett. It seemed as though this made Lisa fly to LA to get away from the news.
It looks like Ant McPartlin has "found love" with his PA who "put him back together again" as Lisa spoke of heartbreak. 42-year-old Ant McPartlin and his new beau Annie-Marie got close after the PA supported him and was there for him through his drinking and drug issues. Earlier this year in the month of January, Ant McPartlin announced that he and his wife, Lisa Armstrong were getting a divorce after being together for around 11 years. He first met Lisa in 1994, who is a makeup artist and has also dabbled with a pop career which fizzled out before she could make it big. She has worked on 'Britain's Got Talent' and 'X-Factor'.
After finding out about Ant's new love, Lisa took to Twitter to express how disappointed and heartbroken she was. She tweeted a series of heartbreak emojis over the weekend post-hearing about Ant and Anne's blossoming romance. According to a source who spoke to The Sun, "Anne-Marie’s put him back together again. Everyone’s thrilled he’s found someone to love. He’s had a tough time of it, but Anne-Marie has put a smile back on his face again. She has been his rock".
They have been living in each other’s pockets, day in, day out. Knowing someone is there for him has brought him back from the brink — she’s put him back together again. It’s very early days, but everyone is hoping he can put the worst year of his life behind him and find happiness again. Both of them deserve it," the source went on to continue. Anne works at a London management company that Anthony's bff Dec Donnelly's wife Ali Astall works at. She's been working there for 10 years now.
Ant and Annie's romance started post his arrest which happened earlier on this year after Ant was involved in a car crash. He allegedly hit two cars and also ended up injuring a four-year-old minor child. According to the charge sheet, Ant "drove a motor vehicle, namely a Black Mini…after consuming so much alcohol that the proportion of it in your breath, namely 75 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 milliliters of breath, exceeded the prescribed limit." The Wimbledon Crown Court handled the case and Ant was slapped with a £86,000 fine and 20-month driving ban. He later apologized for the incident to the police, reportedly saying, "I'm very sorry I did this. I'm ashamed and mortified that this happened."
Recently, Ant's ex-wife, Lisa Armstrong took to Twitter to express her disapproval and how betrayed she felt. She tweeted her thoughts and opinions in response to a friend Nicola McLean and wrote, "Yeah My Friend and OUR Pa who I let into OUR home. 💔". Nicola was very supportive of her friend and wrote, "Sending my love Lisa!! Really feel for you worst pain ever."